Young mother shot to death during fight

BAINBRIDGE, GA (WALB) - A young mother was shot to death Monday night in Bainbridge. Local investigators and the GBI are releasing little information about the shooting.

We do know the woman was shot during a fight between several men in a Bainbridge neighborhood Monday night around 7:00 p.m.

Things have quieted down now at the Housing Authority on Broughton Street in Bainbridge. But even as things return to normal, it's still unclear what started the fight that ended with 21-year-old Ebony Clarke's death. "All I know is, some guys was fighting on Broughton Street," said her sister-in-law Cashonda Jackson.

Clarke's mother, Barbara N. Oden added, "The only thing that I could find out is that her ex-boyfriend, and a guy she used to talk to, so I'd say 2 ex-boyfriends, had had a fight. And she went down the street to see what was going on."

Police had already responded to the fight when they heard gunshots. A man who has yet to be identified was shot it the thigh. Twenty-one-year-old Clarke was shot in the head. "I could see where the bullet went it here behind the left ear, and I guess it came out somewhere, because there was blood everywhere," explained Oden.

Clarke somehow managed to run back to the apartment where she was staying with her 4-month-old son Ty'yon before she died. "I really think she was running to protect him. I thank God today that she didn't have him in her arms like she always did."

"I just said 'it can't be Ebony. I think it's a dream. I need to wake up," said Jackson. Tuesday, as Clarke's family and friends gathered at her mom's home, they searched for answers. "I was told there were 3 guys firing guns, and they don't know which gun hit her. I was told by the hospital that she had to be sent to the crime lab to find out which bullet killed her," said Oden.

Until they find those answers, they'll focus on looking after Ty, and hope someone who knows the truth of what really happened will step forward.

Services for Ebony Clarke will be held this Saturday at 11 a.m. at Second Morningstar Church in Attapulgus.

If you have any information about the shooting, contact Bainbridge Public Safety Investigators at 229-248-2038.